


Saotome Shenanigans know no bounds

by RoyHankins



Category: Ranma 1/2
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Family, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Ranma and Akane are oblivious as hell, Time Travel, kid from the future
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:01:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28908996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoyHankins/pseuds/RoyHankins
Summary: It takes a lot to phase the Tendo's. So when a teenage girl materializes in their dining room claiming to be Ranma's daughter from the future, it doesn't even interrupt breakfast.
Relationships: Saotome Ranma/Tendou Akane
Comments: 6
Kudos: 34





	Saotome Shenanigans know no bounds

**Author's Note:**

> If this was an episode of the anime, it's title would be, "Daughter from the Future?! Her name is Rumi Saotome!"

It was, for the Tendo family, a rather peaceful morning. A day off school meant they all had as much time as they wanted to eat breakfast together, and Ranma was predictably using the chance to sleep in. Not that Akane was thinking about Ranma. She wasn’t.

Sure, the night before they’d almost had a Moment, and it was going great, and it was enough to make Akane hope.

Then, as was to be expected, Ranma said something rude.

No, rude wasn’t a strong enough word. Hurtful. It had been hurtful. Akane had gotten angry, Ranma had doubled down, and Akane had stormed off to her room.

The embers of that anger were still alive in her heart, enough that she was happy that her fiancé wasn’t there eating Kasumi’s wonderful food with them.

Her father was reading the paper, Nabiki had already left to go and do something in her room, and Kasumi was telling Akane about her recent trip to the marketplace. Really, the only thing the scene was missing was P-chan, who was once again mysteriously absent.

Such a scene was not to last. Ever since the father-son Saotome duo had first come to live with them, chaos was to be expected.

So when, at the place Ranma would normally sit to eat at the table, the air filled with a swirling fuschia maelstrom, a spherical orb of energy that grew until it was several feet in diameter, it mostly just registered to them all as a minor shock.

Though as the magical event dissipated, it left something behind that was definitely of note.

Namely, a girl, one around Akane’s age, who looked just as shocked to see them as they were to see her.

There was something immediately eye-catching about her, and that was her clothes. She wore the same style of Chinese longshirt and pants that Ranma did, but the colors were reversed: her shirt was a deep blue, her pants a dusty maroon.

Seemingly by instinct, the girl went into a defensive stance, one that told Akane she was a martial artist, though the exact style she used was both familiar and foreign. There was something in her hand, and she looked down at it in confusion before muttering. “Seriously?” Her voice was a little rough for a girl’s, though still feminine.

“Excuse me,” Kasumi said politely, as she smiled at the stranger who had materialized in their dining room. “I’m sorry, but could you tell us who you are?”

The girl turned her attention back on the Tendo’s, and Akane thought she looked almost embarrassed. Her free hand went to rub the back of her head, ruffling her shaggy black hair in the process, which was tied up into two pigtails. “Oh, yeah, sorry about this.” Then, she bowed at the waist, saying, “My name is Rumi, and this might be hard to believe, but I’m from the future.” Then she straightened back up, looked down at the food on the table, and they all heard her stomach audibly growl.

Without the girl even having to ask, Akane’s father nodded her head and told her, “Apology accepted. Please, sit down and eat with us.” It seemed Rumi didn’t have to be told twice. In a blinding flash of speed, she was suddenly sitting down across from Akane, filling up a bowl with a little bit of everything. After folding up his paper and setting it down, Mr. Tendo had more questions for their guest. “While it is unexpected, I believe we’ve seen enough strangeness to believe what you say, at least for the time being. That being said, I do wonder if you could tell us more about how you found yourself here.”

“Gurk-” Rumi tried to respond right away, but it looked as though she’d forgotten about the food still in her mouth, and had to choke it down before speaking. “That’s better!” She waved a hand around at the room, and said, “I was actually here, right where I was standing. I, uh, live here, or I will. My friend showed me some ancient Chinese artifact, and I must’ve done something, because all of a sudden I was here.” She set the thing she’d had in her hand before in the middle of the table. It looked like an ordinary hourglass, aside from its age. “Before, the sand in it was a bright blue so I’m guessin’ it doesn’t have the mojo to send me back yet.”

She was just about to get back to eating her food, when the door opened behind Akane. There was a familiar yawn, though even without hearing it Akane knew it was Ranma and his father behind her. “...” There was an intake of breath as Ranma started to say something, then stopped himself. “Uh, who is that?” It made Akane roll her eyes. Did it really take him that long to notice the stranger at the table?

“Daddy!!” Before Akane could even register what was being said in Rumi’s screech, she watched as the hungry teenager  _ disappeared _ from where she was sitting, crossing the air between her and Ranma in nanoseconds, and tackling him into the room he’d just come out of. It was only as Akane turned around, looking at Ranma splayed out on the ground being aggressively hugged by Rumi, that she realized what she had said. “Oh Dad, you’re so young! Look at you! We’re, like, the same age!!” The more the girl babbled, the more what she was really saying actually sunk into Akane’s brain.

Girl from the future.

Girl from the future wearing a variant of Ranma’s outfit.

Girl from the future wearing a variant of Ranma’s outfit calling him her father.

It all added up to a clear picture, but it wasn’t one Akane ever thought she’d have to imagine.

Looking at her family to see if she was the only one getting it, she was confused to see her father and Kasumi were actually looking from the two on the ground to Akane and back, before meeting eyes and smiling.

Before Akane could ask what they were smiling about, Genma lifted both his son and possible granddaughter off the ground, looking at her very carefully even as her arms and legs were still gripping Ranma, who looked too confused to say anything. “You’re claiming to be a Saotome, girl?”

“Yep!” Rumi chirped, grinning at him.

Something in Genma’s eyes told Akane that he definitely  _ wanted _ that to be true, for some reason, but he still felt the need to check. “If so, then you should know Article 1, Item 5 of the Saotome Code of Anything-Goes Martial Arts.” This was the first time Akane had heard any such code existed.

“Come on, Pop, there’s no way she’d know that! Even I don’t know squat about that baloney code!” Ranma complained, the question having been enough to knock him out of his addled state.

“One must accept any hospitality given, and honorably benefit from it as much as possible!” Rumi chirped, reciting the apparently genuine piece of text requested.

The quote was all it took to make Genma start crying, and now he was hugging Rumi who was hugging Ranma. “My girl! I can’t believe I’m a grandfather at so young an age!” It took everything Akane had not to make a quip about how Genma wasn’t exactly a spring chicken, but she managed to hold her tongue.

He set her down, and Rumi finally let go of Ranma, who slumped to the floor, once again bewildered beyond rational thought. “Actually, grandpa, I’m not going to be born for another...” Suddenly, her hands went to her mouth, covering it. “Oh no! I have to be careful what I say, or I could never be born!”

Nodding sagely, Genma replied, “Ah, time traveler then. Well, so long as you’re here, I’m still your grandpappy, okay?”

Unable to hold the question back any longer, Akane asked, “Rumi, if Ranma’s your father, then who is your mother?” The mystery had already started to eat away at her. She couldn’t stop seeing Shampoo’s strength in her arms, or Kodachi’s callousness in her eyes.

Most of the people in the room looked at Akane like she was an idiot, but Ranma shakily stood up, pushing into his back until it made a loud popping sound. “Yeah, good question!”

The previously confident girl now seemed to shy away from everyone’s looks, retreating back to where she’d sat before, her eyes on the floor. “L-like I said, Dad, I can’t...” Rumi took a deep breath, then told Ranma and Akane, “What if I told you, and doing that meant you never get together with her, and I’m never born?” As curious as Akane was, she had to respect that as a good reason for not knowing.

Though she still felt the need to ask, “Do you actually know if it’s possible to change the future? Or was you coming back in time something that was always supposed to happen?” After all, from what she knew of time travel in popular culture, it could go either way.

With her father now taking a seat beside her to eat breakfast too, Rumi paused between mouthfuls of food to respond. “No clue, but better safe than sorry.” Then, she set her bowl down, and Akane saw her eyes dart around, scoping out the room for danger. “I-is...is Master Happosai here?” There was so much fear in her voice, it made Akane nervous too.

“Who’s that?” Ranma asked, just as in the dark as Akane was. But out of the corner of her eyes, Akane saw that Mr. Saotome and her father had gone dead still, sweat dripping down their faces.

Rumi let out a sigh of relief. “Oh great, he isn’t free yet.” That didn’t do anything to de-stress either adult.

There wasn’t any talking for a little after that, as Rumi seemed to compete with her father over who could finish off what was left of breakfast faster. When they were finally done, both looking contentedly full, Rumi grabbed the hourglass and stood up. “Well, I should go see Shampoo about this. She’ll probably know how to get me home.” Then she froze, looking at Akane and asking, “S-she is here, right? You know who I’m talking about?”

Unable to keep some bitterness out of her tone, Akane replied, “Yes, Shampoo and her grandmother own a ramen shop not too far from here.”

Standing up next to her, Ranma didn’t look at Rumi, but he still said, “I’ll take ya there, I guess.” It sounded like he was still trying to wrap his head around the whole ‘daughter from the future’ thing, but Akane could understand that. After all, how weird would it be if  _ her _ daughter from the future randomly arrived like this?

His suggestion made Rumi glow with happiness, but then she seemed to realize something, and looked over at Akane. “Hey, uh, you should come too!” Rumi got a look on her face that she recognized from Ranma, the girl was trying to think of an excuse. “Um...the more the merrier?”

Unsure why Rumi wanted her to come too, Akane pointedly didn’t look at Ranma as she got up and said, “Well, I didn’t have anything planned for today, so I might as well...” The idea of going to Shampoo’s house wasn’t something she was particularly excited about, but it felt rude for her to deny Rumi’s request, even if she couldn’t think of a good reason to invite Akane along.

It wasn’t a bad day for a walk, Akane had to admit. Rumi moved with a skip in her step, Ranma on one side and Akane on her other. It was only in the late morning sunlight that Akane realized Rumi’s hair wasn’t black, like she’d thought, but actually a very dark blue. Blue...like Shampoo’s, Akane thought, one hand reaching up to nervously play with a lock of her own navy hair.

The girl from the future was looking from one side to the other, clearly expecting something, before she finally broke the ice herself. “So, I know you two are engaged. How’s that going?”

“He’s a stubborn jerk.”

“She’s an uncute tomboy.”

They said their insults in perfect unison, and neither looked at the other, even as each bristled at what they heard. Rumi winced, looking off-put by what she was hearing. “Okay, let me take a crack at this: Dad, did you say something mean to Akane?” His nod was barely perceptible. “Akane, did you flip out at him for that?” Those words weren’t ones she would have chosen, but Akane agreed anyway. “Okay, so, you both were mean and you both got hurt. You’re even.” There was no response from either of them. Rumi sighed as loudly as she could. “You guys!! I’m not going to be here super-long, do you think it’s  _ possible _ to just make up and try to get along, just for a little bit?”

Akane knew it was a guilt trip, but that didn’t stop her from being affected by it. Finally giving up and looking over at Ranma, she admitted, “...If he apologizes, I’ll apologize too.” She didn’t like to admit it, but Akane could be as stubborn as Ranma. The mutual apology was the best she could consider.

It was clear from how he narrowed his eyes that Ranma didn’t think he should apologize at all, but he still forced out the words, “I’m sorry, Akane.”

She was pretty sure he could have done better than that, but for Ranma that was actually pretty good. “Then I’m sorry too, Ranma,” she said back, unsure if he could tell through her sharp tone that...well, she really did mean it. At least a little.

Suddenly all smiles once more, Rumi said, “Yes, that’s what I’m talking about! Let’s get a picture of us!” Then, she pulled out some strange thin rectangular device from her sleeve and, after wrapping an arm around each of them and pulling them closer to her, shouted, “Say ‘Anything Goes School of Martial Arts’!” The object had a screen on it, like a TV, and it seemed to show the three of them on it, like a mirror? Then there was a click sound, and the image stopped moving. Rumi pulled her arms back, bringing the device closer to her face to look at it in more detail. “Hmm...we’ll have to get one better than that later...”

Curious, Akane asked her, “Is that some sort of camera?” She hadn’t even considered how technology might change in the future, especially considering she didn’t even know how far ahead Rumi was from.

Judging by the look on his face, Ranma wanted to know too. “Ooooooh yeah!” Rumi said. “I forgot, cell phones aren’t a thing yet. Neither’s wifi.” She let out a melodramatic sigh. “There were so many memes I wanted to share with you...” Akane had no idea what she was saying anymore.

Suddenly, Ranma jumped into the conversation. “So...you know martial arts?”

Rumi looked at her dad like he was an idiot. Which he was. “Dad, you should know damn well I do. I am a Saotome.” Then she put her hands behind her head, the gesture something Akane had seen Ranma do a hundred times before. “Maybe later, if we’ve got the time, I can kick your ass around the dojo a bit, teach you a thing or two.”

The fire of competition lit up in Ranma’s eyes, and he almost laughed as he said, “That’d be fun. I normally try not to fight girls, but since you’re my kid, I bet you’re used to losing to me.” Rumi looked like she had something to say back, but Akane had to interrupt.

“God, you’re such a pig, Ranma. Women can fight just as good as men can, and you’d know that if you took us seriously.” There was no attempt to hide her annoyance. She  _ hated _ when Ranma talked like that, and now he was doing it in front of his daughter?

Ranma met Akane’s eyes, and she knew before he opened his mouth what kind of thing he was about to say. “Really? See, last time I checked, there isn’t a single girl martial artist who can last more than ten seconds against me, you included.”

It was only after the words left his mouth that Akane saw the regret in his eyes, but it was too little, too late. Akane set her jaw, told Rumi, “Sorry, but I think I’m going home. I have homework to do,” and turned around.

She wasn’t tearing up.

She wasn’t going to cry.

She wasn’t going to let what Ranma said get to her.

“Dad, you can be a real piece of crap, you know that?” Akane barely hear the words, but they were almost enough to make her want to come back.

Almost.

* * *

It wasn’t like Ranma didn’t know he was an asshole.

His freaking daughter from the future didn’t have to remind him of that.

The problem was, sometimes words entered into his stupid brain, and he said them before thinking through how Akane would react.

How other people would react!

Not just Akane!

Still, she didn’t have to get so mad...she had to know he didn’t mean it, right?

Shaking his head, Ranma tried not to focus on that. He and Akane fought all the time, but Rumi was something new.

He was still trying to wrap his head around it. Sometime in the future, Ranma would actually have a kid. Who was the mom, though? Her hair wasn’t as black as his was, and he swore there was some blue in it. Shampoo had blue hair, maybe it was her? Sure, she didn’t call Shampoo her mom earlier, but Rumi had said she was trying to hide who her mom was from him.

There was also Kodachi. Sure, she didn’t really have Kodachi’s looks, or her attitude, or her raging insanity, but...well, who else was there?

A face briefly appeared in his head, but he refused to think about it. No...there was no way that would ever happen.

“Whatcha thinkin’ about, Dad?” Rumi asked him, her voice cheery.

It was strange. He just met her, but hearing Rumi call him ‘Dad’ just made Ranma want to smile. It wasn’t just that, either. She just radiated this...happiness. Like she was glad to be around him. That wasn’t something Ranma was used to, from anyone.

Well, anyone who wasn’t a violent amazon, anyway, and Shampoo being happy was usually a really bad thing. “Nothing much,” was the answer he ended up giving her. Realizing she’d entwined her arm around his at the elbow, he thought back to how much closely she’d been sticking to him. “I get you wanna spend time with me,” Ranma asked her, “But do we not do this sorta stuff in the future? Are we...close?”

Her eyes did something then, something that reminded him of someone Ranma knew very well. Rumi’s eyes drifted from Ranma to the road ahead, and pointedly refused to look back at him, no matter what he tried. “...spoilers, Dad.”

That reply turned his stomach. The idea he might have, what, abandoned her? It scared him. Partially because...he could see it happening. The Saotome’s weren’t exactly the most touchy-feely family in the world, and Ranma was pretty flighty by nature.

But if he had any say in the matter, he told himself there was no way he was going to ever leave Rumi once she was born. The only thing that could stop him was death itself.

That serious thought was ruined somewhat when his head was suddenly doused with cold water, activating his curse. Confused, he looked at Rumi and saw she’d taken a local old woman’s bucket of water and dumped it on him. Glaring at his daughter, Ranma just got a wink and an adorable smile back. “That’s a punishment for the rude question, Daddy.”

As much as he wanted to be mad with her, Ranma decided to just let it go. Especially because, weirdly enough, he...really liked that she called him that, even when he had boobs. Still, Ranma thought he should at least still look like he was annoyed. “Okay, I get the memo, don’t ask about the future.” Then he saw it: Shampoo’s restaurant! “There’s the place, let’s get this over with quickly.”

It wasn’t like Ranma  _ hated _ Shampoo. She was just...

“Ranma! Ranma, wo de airen!”

...she was a bit much. The second they entered the store, Shampoo dropped what she was doing, literally dropping a bowl of hot ramen into an unsuspecting customer's hands, and booked it across the room to scoop Ranma up into a hug. One he managed to dodge, but still, it was the principle of the matter.

Shampoo’s ecstatic expression melted into open hostility once her eyes fell on Rumi. “Ranma, who this girl?” Unrestrained jealousy and Shampoo, the ultimate couple.

Rolling his eyes at her, Ranma said, matter-of-factly, “This is Rumi Saotome, she’s my kid, just traveled back in time. We were hopin’ you could figure out how to get her back.” To show what her father was talking about, Rumi brought out the hourglass again, though where she’d been keeping it he didn’t know.

With the explanation given, Shampoo no longer looked at Rumi as a potential rival for Ranma’s affections. But instead, she was looking at her...sadly. Was there something that Shampoo saw in her that he didn’t? “I take to grandmother. You stay here.” Ranma wasn’t about to argue with that. The less time he spent around the ancient crone, the better.

The amazon took the hourglass from Rumi’s hand and went into the back of the shop, completely ignoring the customer who was still waiting at the front counter, blowing on his possibly burnt hands. “Cologne?” Rumi asked, though Ranma could tell there was more she wanted to ask about that.

“Yep,” was all Ranma said back, and Rumi seemed to accept that without anything else to say. Or maybe nothing else she felt she  _ could _ say. Made him wonder though. Was Cologne still around in her time? Had she gone back to China? Was she dead?

They didn’t have to wait long. Still looking borderline-depressed, Shampoo returned to the front of the store and tossed the hourglass at Rumi, which she caught without trouble. “Grandmother says it take you back today, when sun sets. Make sure you have on you, it take back whoever have it.” Then, without another word, she went back to running the store, not looking at Ranma or his daughter at all.

Not exactly sad that Shampoo didn’t want to monopolize his time, Ranma took the win and left the building, thinking about what he’d just heard. So, they only had today...

“Well, that’s not too bad!” Rumi said, grinning at Ranma. “That means we still have some time left, and we don’t have to do some stupid ritual or trial or something to make it work.” One second, the hourglass was in her hand, and the next it was just gone. Ranma had to admit, he was impressed. The girl was as fast as he was. Rumi’s cheerful attitude faltered a little, a note of fear bleeding into her voice as she asked him, “Um, so, Dad...would it be okay if we spent the rest of the day together?”

“Sure, take my whole day off, why dontcha...” Ranma grumbled, doing his best to look annoyed by the idea. When that just made Rumi look at the ground, and her eyes started to get watery, Ranma quickly added, “Yeah! Yeah, okay, twist my arm, we can spend the whole day together!” In a nanosecond she was back to being a ray of sunshine, and Ranma wondered if he’d just been conned. If so, he was impressed.

The thing was, he didn’t want to admit it, but Ranma was actually starting to like being a dad. Like, not just the idea he’d have a kid someday in the future, but specifically being  _ her _ dad. “Okay, first thing, let’s go shopping! Clothes back in the 90’s were so weird, trying some on is at least worth a laugh,” Rumi said, grabbing Ranma’s arm and pulling him towards the city’s shopping district.

He didn’t resist, but Ranma felt genuinely annoyed now. “Seriously, you’re gonna try and dress me up too?” First Nabiki and Kasumi tried getting him to wear girly stuff, then the gymnastics thing, and now his own daughter? For Rumi at least, he’d actually do it, but he really wouldn’t like it.

Turning to look at him over her shoulder, Rumi stared at Ranma like he’d grown an extra head. “What? Dad,  _ I’m _ going to try on clothes, and I want you to help me pick them out.” Shaking her head, Rumi asked, “Why would I try to make you wear girly stuff? You’re my  _ Dad _ .”

“Oh.” Ranma didn’t know what else to say to that. No longer needing to be carried there, Ranma followed her lead through the city, suddenly feeling confident that, no matter what may happen, his daughter was pretty damn cool.

As it turned out, going clothes shopping when Ranma wasn’t the one being forced to wear clothes he hated was actually pretty fun, though he did find it weird how ridiculous Rumi seemed to find the stuff they had in stock. Still, when she was happy, he was happy, and when they were done she spied a movie playing in a theater that she’d loved watching on something called a ‘VHS’ when she was a kid, so Ranma paid for two tickets.

Two hours later, a very bored Ranma and a recovering from crying Rumi left the theater. Even if he had no clue what she’d seen in that weird animated thing they’d seen, Ranma didn’t find himself minding too much. “What next?” he asked.

Rumi took a breath to completely clear her eyes of tears, then pulled a tissue from who-knows-where and blew her nose. “Now?” she asked, a competitive energy coming into her voice. “I remembered saying something about kicking your ass earlier.” For the first time since he’d met her, Ranma saw something predatory in her smile as she added, “You’re the one who taught me not to promise what I can’t deliver, Dad.”

“Maybe I’m all old and brittle in the future, but you’re facing Ranma Saotome in his heyday now, kid,” Ranma bragged.

They traded boasts and threats as they went back to the Tendo’s house, neither taking the time to change into training gi. They were going to start, each in a battle-stance, when someone called out, “Catch!” Without looking, Ranma raised a hand and grabbed the kettle that Akane had thrown him from the sidelines, though she was refusing to actually look at him. “Wouldn’t want you to have an excuse for why she beats you,” Akane said, which made Rumi guffaw.

Without a word, Ranma just poured some of the hot water on his head, taking a moment to feel out as he was once again taller, stronger, and...more him. He didn’t hate his cursed form, not exactly, but there was always this weird, pervasive sense that it wasn’t right, it wasn’t him.

This wasn’t the time to focus on that, though. Ranma tossed the kettle to the side, and when Akane signalled them, the fight started.

He hadn’t been ready. Rumi went to strike first, and even after what he’d seen before, Ranma hadn’t really been ready for how  _ fast _ she was. He was still able to dodge, but only barely, and there was no time for him to try a counterattack. Rumi started throwing punch after kick after haymaker, and it took everything he had to avoid them.

Looking at her fight, there was no doubt in his mind she was his kid. It wasn’t just Rumi’s speed, her technique was like his too, precise in a way he’d never seen from anyone else. Only, he was usually used to using that against other people, facing it himself was terrifying.

But she didn’t just remind Ranma of himself. There was something else there, something very not-him. Her blows were powerful, her stance was more solid than his was, and she was strong enough that the air pressure from a missed attack could still hurt like hell. It felt like the person he’d seen it from before was on the tip of his tongue, but Ranma couldn’t recall for the life of him who it was.

It was also fair to say he was spending too much time analyzing her, because before he knew what had hit him, Ranma went flying across the dojo, and slammed into the far wall hard enough to leave an indent in the wood. “That’s one win for Rumi,” Akane called, victory in her voice.

“One more,” Ranma said through the pain, rising back to his feet. No more defensive fighting, this time he’d go all out.

He did.

He lost.

A lot.

After about ten solid minutes of getting thrashed, which Akane was  _ loving _ , Ranma was finally ready to throw in the towel. “Okay!” he shouted, too sore to even get up anymore. “I lose, you win, blah blah blah.” The mockery did hide a bit of pride, though. Ranma had to admit, even if he wasn’t saying it out loud, that Rumi’s skills were of a level he’d never seen before.

“Told ya,” Rumi taunted, coming over to help Ranma up. Then, once he was able to start limping over to the first-aid kit, she turned to Akane and asked, “Would...you be up for a spar too?”

The question blindsided Ranma and Akane both. But after a stunned second or two, Akane stammered, “W-well yeah, if you’re sure.” Unlike Ranma or Rumi, Akane did quickly change into a proper martial artist’s gi, and Ranma leaned against a wall for support as he watched.

As he expected, Rumi was holding back against her. She wasn’t moving as fast, she wasn’t fighting as aggressively. But...it felt different from when Ranma did that to Akane. It was like Rumi was challenging her, daring her to fight harder. Akane was doing her best, but Rumi was still winning. At one point, Akane saw the same opening in Rumi’s stance that Ranma did, and moved to strike.

It was a flowing single motion. Rumi dodged out of the way, spinning around Akane and facing her back. From there, no matter how Akane tried to turn, Rumi moved the same, staying behind her, and once they were in that position the fight was over. That was the last spar that Akane had in her, and when the girls shook hands, Akane asked, breathless, “What  _ was _ that move?” 

Ranma was curious too. He’d never seen one like it, and by everything he knew about martial arts, it shouldn’t have worked. Even if it had been him, Rumi had been in an unrecoverable position, so how did she go from that to completely controlling the fight? Grinning from ear to ear, Rumi told Akane, “That would be a spoiler, but I will say that  _ you  _ taught it to me.”

To his surprise, Akane frowned at that. “I...I appreciate that you wanted to make me feel better, but you don’t have to lie to me. I like martial arts, but...” Akane’s eyes fell to the dojo floor. “...I’m never going to be  _ that _ good.” Her words were so quiet, Ranma barely heard them.

“That’s not true,” Ranma found himself saying, loudly. “Akane, you can punch a tree in half if you want to. You’re strong as hell, and you’ve got more guts than any other martial artist I know.” He didn’t know why he was saying any of this. It just...really pissed him off, to think that Akane actually thought that about herself. “That move she did is perfect against really fast opponent’s, I wouldn’t be surprised if you invent the damn thing just to annoy me with it.”

There was a silent moment in the dojo as the weight of what he’d said filled the air. It wasn’t something he could take back. “Ranma...” Akane said, looking over at him, a question in her eyes that he didn’t know how to answer.

“Blech, keep this up and I’m gonna barf,” Rumi cut in, completely ruining the moment. Outside, the sun was starting to set, casting everything in a more orange hue. Rumi pulled out the hourglass, and Ranma could see the sand inside was glowing. “Looks like I’m heading back home now.” Even though she was smiling, Ranma could hear the sadness in Rumi’s voice.

“...” Ranma didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t really ready for her to go.

At least one of them could say something. “It was great meeting you,” Akane said, and Ranma knew she meant it.

Something about what Akane said made Rumi laugh, as the air around her started to glow with a strange fuschia energy. “You’ll both get to meet me again one day, don’t forget.” Then her eyes betrayed her, and tracks of tears started spilling down Rumi’s cheeks. “I love you guys. It was...really great. I’ll always remember this day...” The energy was starting to look more solid, swirling around her in a spherical shape, she had only seconds left. “...the day we got to spend as a family.”

She was gone.

Neither Ranma or Akane could look at each other. All they seemed to be able to do was look at the space where Rumi had just stood, and think of her last words.

She couldn’t mean...no, that was...

“...Guess I’m like an honorary aunt or something, right?” Akane asked, something shaky in her voice.

Ranma nodded, grabbing onto the idea immediately. “Yeah, that’s gotta be it. I mean, if you spend any more time with me, you’ll be an honorary Saotome for life, for sure.”

There was something brittle and hollow in what they said. Their claims would break if under even the smallest ounce of pressure.

But neither of them were going to push.

Akane left the dojo first, Ranma still leaning on the wall.

‘...the day we got to spend as a family...’

Ranma found himself praying for the first time since he first got cursed. Not to God, or Buddha, or anyone else...just to the universe.

Praying that the future wasn’t set in stone.

* * *

Once back in her own time, Rumi went somewhere she hadn’t been in years.

“Hey, Dad. It’s me, Rumi. Long time, no see, huh?”

“...”

“Funny thing about that, I actually kinda just saw you. I don’t know if you’d remember it, though.”

“...”

“I was hanging out with Lotion, and they wanted to show me something their great-grandma had sent in from China.”

“...”

“Course, you know how it is with stuff like that, ended up being sent back in time."

“...”

“No, you and Mom weren’t together yet. It was...hard pretending she wasn’t as important to me as you are.”

“...”

“I’ll just apologize to her when I see her tonight, though.”

“...”

“Yeah, she’ll probably be mad, but who knows? Maybe she’s been waiting for this.”

“...”

“I saw Grandfather, too. I wish...if I’d had more than just that day, I would have spent more time with him.”

“...”

“Oh, and Grandpa actually quizzed me! On the Saotome Code!”

“...”

“The next time I got to see Grandpa, I’m going to really let him have it.”

“...”

“...I know you would have liked that. You and Grandpa always loved to fight.”

“...”

“I should probably get going, Mom’s going to get worried. The note I left didn’t really explain much.”

“...”

“...It was really good seeing you, Dad. Talking to you, too. I know it sounds impossible, but I forgot how much of a jerk you can be.”

“...”

“I always thought Mom was exaggerating about how much you drove her up a wall, but now I’m standing to think she was underselling it.”

“...”

“I’m...Don’t tell Mom the next time she comes to see you...ha. Like you could. But still! I don’t want her to know, but I was thinking...”

“...”

“...maybe I can find out how to use this hourglass thing. Go back for another trip.”

“...”

“That way I can see Grandfather again, and you can show me your old high school, and...and...”

“...”

“I-it would be nice...if I could finally say goodbye. Since I never got to.”

“...”

“You’re right, it’s a dumb idea. Don’t worry about it.”

“...”

“Alright Dad. I love you. I...I love you so much. And I’m proud to be your daughter.”

Rumi Saotome went home, trying to ignore her tears.

**Author's Note:**

> I did not think this would get so sad
> 
> it was supposed to just be a fun kid from the future fic


End file.
